Month: November 2012

iTunes 11 is great. That’s really the only thing that has to really be said but I will give sort of a mini review right now for all.

It’s fast

iTunes 11 launches so fast and is so smooth it feels like I am using something else. It seems they have re-written the app from the ground up

Design

The design is amazing. I love it. Actually I think it is really the first major change to the design of iTunes ever. Yes there has been features added but never a real redesign. This is a complete redesign and it’s great.

Mini-Player

The mini player was really worthless in the other iTunes. Now it’s great. You can search for songs see the next song’s in the playlist, repeat basically everything.

After being delayed for a month iTunes 11 is now available to download. It is much better I can tell you and I downloaded it 2 minutes ago. So go get updating from the App Store or the Apple iTunes download page.

AT&T is famous for annoying their customers with iPhones. At the launch of iOS 6 AT&T made it so only members with a shared data plan would be able to use FaceTime off 4G. It seems AT&T has learned that was a reason many people were leaving their network for Verizon and will make it so anyone without an unlimited data plan can use FaceTime over cellular.

Of course it says LTE device meaning iPad 3,4 and iPhone 5 customers exclusively with the upcoming LTE iPad mini as well. It says LTE models but that doesn’t necessarily mean that it will not run off of AT&T 4G hspa+ networks as LTE doesn’t cover very many places. This will be available in the next 8 to 10

This means users with an LTE enabled device running on AT&T will be able to FaceTime on cellular data as long as you don’t have an unlimited data plan.

The iPad Mini is here and yes like other launches in the past I got mine the first day so I could bring you a speedy review of the new tablet Apple has to offer and answer the question: Is this iPad Mini really worthy of carrying the iPad tittle and what are the good’s and bad’s of this new device. Let’s get started

Design

The first thing I want to start with is the design. This is now a smaller iPad, if anything it is a bigger iPod Touch. The design is the exact same without the color options really. Same form factor as the new iPod Touch just without the colored aluminum on the back. It is the same slate or silver you find on the new iPhone 5 with the mirror sort of bezel around the screen. The home button is smaller than the iPhone 5 which is surprising and has sort of the same solid feel the iPhone 5 has where you don’t have to worry about it breaking after using it so many times. There is on the bottom for the first time stereo speakers next to the brand new lightning connector that made its debut with the iPhone 5. There is 2 volume up and down buttons where it’s big brother has sort of the unified rocker and of course the mute/rotation slider. On the back a 5 megapixel camera and the front has a facetime HD camera. All of this delivered in a device as thing as a pencil. Let me tell you it feels good in the hand(s). A lot better than the iPad 2/3/4 that could cut into your hands with the teardrop design.

Screen

The screen is honestly the only real problem I have with this device. After being spoiled with the retina display in the iPad 3 and iPhone 5 the screen is a disappointment, however it is not as bad as everyone is making it to be. The only thing is yes text does look terrible. However if you are playing a game or even using it for a couple of minutes your eyes will adjust and it will be fine. The colors are bright and so is the screen. There is no way they could have put a retina display in something this small and thin. Maybe next year they will have the technology for it.

Software

The software for the mini the user can tell is pretty basic iOS 6. You got the now famous maps app that you may hate or love and some other goodies. Now the things the user doesn’t notice is what gives Apple the advantage. Apple makes their hardware and software so they can make the software perfect for the hardware. For example the mini has incredibly small bezels compared to the iPad. The thing is however you can still rest your thumbs on each side of the device fully touching the screen and the software can tell you are just resting so the software doesn’t freak out. It’s something you won’t notice but would be annoyed with if it wasn’t there. Of course you also have siri and that is either a hit or miss with you. I also like that they made the iPad Mini run iPad Apps and iPhone apps. However be warned the iPhone apps will look TERRIBLE on the mini.

Speed

The iPad Mini runs the A5 processor found in the iPad 2, iPhone 4s, and iPod Touch 5. Even though the processor is a few years old apps launch fast and the operating system can keep up with lots you have to throw at it. How it stands in a few years will be anyones guess but for now the mini handles apps and data very fast with wifi speeds at 43mb/s. LTE models will be available soon for all of you who need to use your mini without wifi… Or you could do what I do and tether your iPhone to the mini, your call.

Big Brother

So which one should you go for the iPad 4 or Mini? Well the answer is a lot more complicated than you might think. If you already have an iPad with retina display I would say stay away. If you are looking to upgrade the iPad 4 with the new A6x and retina display may be the way to go. It runs everything a lot faster and has an amazing retina display. However it is big. If you need something portable and light you should go with the Mini. The screen isn’t that bad and it does run thing very fast. It would make a great iPad for most. It all depends if you want small and portable or big and powerful.

Summary

The iPad Mini is great. The worst thing about it really is the screen which really isn’t that bad. The price makes it a little less compelling to people who are looking only at price however in terms of usability you will want a mini over the competition. You can use both iPhone and iPad apps on the mini which make it better than android tablets which have mostly blown up phone apps not optimized for the display like iPad apps for the mini. The form factor is great and the software is great as well. The mini is very fast and is portable as well. The design is great and it feels remarkable to use. In some ways it is better than the big iPad 4. It all depends what you are looking for big and powerful or small and portable.

Gallery

The iPad mini is officially here into the world of the consumers and I want to share my first impressions. A later review will be coming soon I just need a little more time testing the device. Expect it at the end of this weekend.

Screen

Compared to the retina displays I will be completely honest this is a disappointment. I was hoping I wouldn’t notice it and when I am playing games I don’t. It’s text that is the main issue here. The text looks fuzzy but it is better than the iPad and iPad 2 but it doesn’t beat out the iPad 3 at all. The iPhone’s have better displays it feels but thats okay because this is a first generation, images look okay, if you use it long enough you’ll start to not even notice or really care. The screen displays colors very nice and it makes up a little for the lack of retina.

Size

I will do a complete review of this later but I do like the size and that’s all that needs to be said right now.

Speed

I have been spoiled by the iPhone and iPad 3rd generation so the iPad Mini seems a little sluggish but it isn’t really. For an A5 it works very fast. The network is fast for an A5 getting around 32 mb/s which is more than enough.

So that’s all I am going to cover. I cannot cover battery times yet because I am trying to drain it for the first charge to get 100% to almost 0 usage times. I will cover more about the screen,speed, iOS, and day to day usage later this weekend. For all of you who got one or are holding up for the LTE model I think you are going to enjoy it if you can get over being a little spoiled with the display.